Is it okay to curse in MG books?

Yes! Cursing is fine. HARRY POTTER is loaded with curses. But, actually, I’m going to discuss cursing in this post… not cursing. I mean using bad words.

When I decided the topic for my next entry would be “Profanity in Middle Grade Books”, I was certain I’d find a bleep load of information. Or, at the very least, a long bleeping list of MG books overflowing with curse words.

Nope. It was actually a bleeping struggle. Turns out most MG books are pretty clean. As far as I”m concerned, that’s a good thing!

I’ve always been fascinated by curse words. It just seems strange that you can arrange a few letters one way and it’s okay, but rearrange them another way… oh, boy! For example, no one has a problem if I say or write “hits”. But take those same letters and make a different word and you’ll have the FCC coming at you like Pop-Eye after eating a can of radioactive spinach.

And sometimes cursing might not be cursing. Look at this scene:

Harvey asked his brother, “Billy? You want to play Lincoln Logs?”

Billy answered, “I can’t. I’ve got to do that dam report.”

Harvey gasped, “You just said a bad word.” Harvey ran downstairs, told his mom, and Billy was forced to eat LAVA soap (the worst tasting off all soaps).

Is Billy innocent? It depends. I mean, he did say “dam”. But that’s not really a swear word. Maybe Harvey knows that Billy’s report is about “clowns”, not “dams”. I know, I know, it’s confusing. And I’m getting off topic.

The point of this post is the use of foul language in Middle Grade books. And I think it’s fairly obvious there really is no place for cursing in MG books.

I just finished reading ARCHVILLAIN by Barry Lyga (which I enjoyed, by the way) and “poop” was as bad as it got in that book.

I think it works better to weave a story around the swear words. Like – Dad put on the wig, cursing under his breath – is all that’s needed to get the point across.

Or better yet, make up your own curse words or phrases. One of my favorite examples occurs in the movie SPY KIDS 2. The young girl spy senses trouble and says, “Oh… shitake mushrooms.” My kids giggled like crazy after that. So if you think you need to use a curse word in your middle grade writing, try to be creative.

Beware of strong language in your middle grade novel. You may wish to use profanities because a particular character demands it, but at this age, parents and teachers are still very protective. Teachers also beg writers not to include foul language because then they can’t read that book in class. If you must include it, be aware that it may limit the book’s marketability, both with editors and with the public.

You know the book BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA by Katherine Paterson. It’s a Newberry Award Winner. But it was red flagged and challenged by several school districts for profanity. The Novel THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY by Susan Patron faced similar issues.

Here’s a quote from a librarian: If it’s a great story, I’ll allow minor swear words like “bleep” if it contributes to the character development.

I think this is good advice. But where is that list of “minor” swear words at?

Bottom line: If you want your MG book to make it into school libraries, try to keep it clean.

Interesting conversation you’ve got going Brian. I think swearing can work in a MG book if it’s chosen carefully. The trouble is that swearing is loud on the page. Louder than it is in movies and Much louder than it is in real life. So it needs to be reserved for moments when no other word is adequate.

I also think it’s helpful to think of profanity in terms of 3 categories.

The disrespectful invocation of one of the names for god. This is always going to offend some people deeply. Often the substitution of gosh, dang, golly or OMG works just fine.

Racial, gender, and ethnic slurs are another category of profanity. These words are often profoundly painful to certain readers, but they are also a very real part of the lives of ordinary MG kids. I think the trick here is to use a slur in a way that illuminates the inherent cruelty of the word without opening the wound of the reader. So I always think about who is using the slur–a character who is meant to be admirable? a character who makes his prejudices evident in other ways? It takes some balancing but it’s possible to use a slur in an appropriate way.

And then there are obscene words which tend to call attention to themselves and draw the reader out of the story. These words also make the story difficult to read aloud in a classroom. These ones are the best candidate for a humorous substitution like shitake mushrooms.

But then we get into trouble with pseudo swear words. Scrotum is not a vulgar word it’s an anatomically correct one used in respectful context in The Higher Power of Lucky. Jackass is not a swear word either it means either male donkey or fool. I wouldn’t use either of those books with kids younger than 8 but they are fine for MG kids and I don’t see a need to pander to the prudish in my writing.

Sorry to go on and on here. 🙂 It’s an important topic and one worth thinking carefully about.

If you can create a memorable curse word… it can really make the book catch on. I mean, think of the show ‘Happy Days’ with SIT ON IT, Or ‘Welcome Back Kotter’ with ‘UP YOUR NOSE WITH A RUBBER HOSE’. Basically those sayings were replacements for vulger words. You know?

My co-author and I had fun making up some great “curses” for an adult character to use in our MG mystery manuscript. It was good to know we were aiming for laughs from the reader instead of the shock value of a more traditional curse word. And I love shitake mushrooms! I’ll have to use that one with my kids at home!

OhMG! News

Nov 16, 2016:John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, & Nate Powell (Artist) won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature for March: Book Three (Top Shelf Productions / IDW Publishing). Learn more here.

March 13, 2016:Tonya Bolden Wins Nonfiction Award
Tonya Bolden has received this year's Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award. Bolden has written twenty-seven books, many of which represent the African-American experience. Her topics include the Emancipation Proclamation, Muhammad Ali, W.E.B. DuBois, as well as little known African-Americans (Searching for Sarah Rector and Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl).
The event honoring Bolden will take place on Saturday, April 9, 2016 at Clyde’s Restaurant of Gallery Place, 707 7th Street NW, Washington D.C. It will include lunch and a presentation by the author followed by a book sale and signing.
To learn more about Tonya Bolden and the Children’s Book Guild of Washington, D.C., and to make reservations for the event, visit childrensbookguild.org.

December 13, 2015:SCBWI Book Launch Party!
Over 30,000 book buyers have already visited the SCBWI inaugural Book Launch Party site, which debuted on Dec 1, 2015. Authors and illustrators of children's books who are members of SCBWI can announce upcoming titles through personally designed Book Launch Party pages, which include a "Buy the Book" button directing viewers to Amazon, Indie Bound and other booksellers. The next Book Launch Party will take place midyear, and will feature spring/fall 2016 titles.

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